Does This Bear Make My Butt Look Fat?Another study about babies and weight is out, and yes, again it's a "duh" moment. Apparently thin parents make thin children. Yes. It's totally true. Your genetic material is passed on to your children when you're growing the little babies in your womb. Who knew?  

We all knew.

Of course we need to focus on healthy eating. Of course we need to set a good example by eating well in front of our kids. But obviously if we tend to store the fat, or shed it easier, our kids could have these same traits. You know what else your baby might inherit from you?

Not everyone who leans toward natural birth practices started there -- many have had bad experiences in hospitals or have been close to women who have. Sometimes it's women who read incredible amounts of literature on pregnancy long before peeing on the stick. It's not just patchouli-wearing, long-haired, barefoot hippies. It's law students, businesswomen, head of your PTA -- anyone. Especially with homebirth on the rise, it's safe to assume it's no longer just a fringe group of "weirdos."

Yet, many people still get accused of being conspiracy theorists, of thinking they "know better than doctors" and blown off like crazy freaks. Well guess what? It seems that many OBGYNs are letting their personal leanings interfere with their practice.

If you've got a baby growing teeth, or you just want to prepare for cold and flu season, you may notice something different in the infant medicine aisle. Instead of Tylenol's concentrated infant drops, a new formula is coming to a drug store near you. In fact, it's possible you haven't even seen any infant Tylenol or Motrin products on the shelves of your local stores in quite some time. There's a reason for that, and there's a reason these new formulas should replace your old ones.

So take a peek in your medicine cabinet, and see what you've got in the way of baby acetaminophen. Ready?

Guess what's floating around in vaccines? Cellophane. No, this isn't another of those "aborted fetal tissue, pig parts, space rocks" rants about how you're poisoning your kids and must be stupid if you don't know what's in them. But there are some freaky things in vaccines that are intentionally included. This one happens to be an accident though, or at least just poor processing.

Charred cellophane was found in some vaccines by Merck, and the FDA says it's the fault of the plant that makes the vaccines. It looks like this is hardly a surprise either, based on previous findings in past inspections. Yikes.

I know that I, for one, kind of went “buh?” when I heard there was a chicken pox vaccine. Unlike polio and German measles, I thought it was a harmless inconvenience. Did I love sitting in the bathtub with an oatmeal-filled sock as my skin oozed and I missed days of my beloved B’nai Or nursery school? No. But it was over in a flash, it seemed.

Except that for 100 kids each year, chicken pox actually used to prove fatal. I know -- that kind of blows my mind. And I say “used to” because child deaths from chicken pox have decreased by 97 percent since the vaccine was brought into general use 12 years ago.

Wow. Very few deaths is great, but almost none is even better. Absolutely, I'll get that vaccine for my kid.

If you've ever left the doctor's office wishing you had said what was really on your mind, you just might be the ideal patient, according to a recent story on CNN. It seems there's a forum where physicians are complaining about "the patient who knows too much," and what a problem these informed people are. Moms, prepare to get your collective backs up.

Because usually, the most informed "patient" is the mom or dad of the tiny person in the room. Any mom who has taken her child to the doctor after being up all night on the Internet, trying to find out what that high fever and rash mean, should be offended. Digging for answers should be praised, not panned, and at least one physician, writing on BlogHer, agrees. 

In the last month or so, I tackled yet another item on my pregnancy to-do list: finding a pediatrician. After gathering recommendations from friends, my OB, and my twins group, I narrowed down the field, focusing on doctors who worked close by, who were affiliated with the nearest hospital, and who took my insurance.

Then, I made some phone calls and skimmed the list down even further, ruling out pediatricians who would charge me just to meet them, who didn't do interviews with expectant parents, and whose staff was rude. You can say I'm rigid, but if it's a hassle just to get a sit-down with a doctor, how am I going to feel when I've got a screaming baby with a high fever in my arms?

Ultimately, I set up meetings with two different pediatricians, and put together a whole list of questions to ask. Armed and ready, I remember walking into my first appointment thinking, "How will I ever choose?" Well, one of them, with his wacka-doodle advice, made that decision a whole lot easier!

You have just gone through (fill in the blank) hours of labor. You see your baby for the first time and you count those fingers, count those toes, hear the Apgar score, and hold her for the first time. They swaddle her up quickly, so tight, so cuddled, and then you hold her again. Maybe it's at her first diaper change or maybe you can see it on her cheek right off. A birthmark. Big, small, dark, faint, reddish, or brown.

You know your kiddo is perfect, no matter what marks she may have. But some birthmarks can be indicators of more serious conditions. How do you know? What do you do?